Communing with Nature
by Commentaholic - Alpha 02
Summary: Set after the events of Dawn of the Dragon.  The legendary purple dragon Spyro has saved the world yet again.  Malefor has been defeated.  But what has become of the hero and his companion, Cynder?  Many years pass before the truth is uncovered. SpyXCyn.
1. Prologue: The Awakening

**Communing with Nature**

By Commentaholic

**A/N: My first LoS story. Forgive any inconsistencies, as I have only ever played Dawn of the Dragon. I'd like to thank the LoS wiki for helping me become somewhat knowledgable in the subject.**

**Well, this plot bunny came to me a few days ago. I figured... Nah, nevermind. You'll just have to find out for yourselves. The setting should explain itself, if you have any familiarity with Dawn of the Dragon. This occurs after Dawn of the Dragon, or, more accurately, right as Spyro is mending the world.**

**This story will have spatterings of POV marks, where it becomes necessary to do things from a specific individual's point of view.**

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><p><strong>Prologue: <strong>_The Awakening_

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><p><strong><em>-=Spyro's POV=-<em>**

_"Spyro, when a dragon dies, he does not truly leave this world.  
><em>_  
>His spirit lives on, binding itself with nature,<em>

_offering hope for the future..."_

Spyro's ears still rang with his mentor's words as the world tore itself apart around him. His mind whirred furiously. Surely he could do _something!_

His eyes snapped open as a sudden realization seared its way into the forefront of his mind, "... I know what I have to do!"

Spyro looked over at Cynder. While she had once been his enemy, Spyro had chosen to accept her as a friend, against the counsel and advice of others. He knew that she had good within her, that a noble dragon had existed before her corruption by Malefor. Cynder's head flicked towards him as he said these words. Her eyes looked at him curiously... trusting...

"Just get out of here, Cynder." he finished. The dragoness's eyes widened as she shook her head from side to side.

"Spyro, no! You don't have to do anything! Let's just go..."

Spyro cut her off, "Where, Cynder? There'll be nothing left! The world is breaking apart... But I think I can stop it... I think I'm meant to..." he said, looking away once more. He couldn't bear to look into her face as he said these words. He was surprised to feel a reassuring touch as Cynder nuzzled up against him.

"Then I'm with you," Cynder whispered in his ear.

Spyro drew himself up onto his hind legs, wings outstretched. His hind legs left the purple crystal floor as the power of the fury swarmed around him.

_I can feel it..._

And he could. In his mind, he could feel every piece of the world as it shattered, flying out into the void of space. He gritted his teeth, reaching for his power to pull them back.

Amid the light that blazed everywhere, obscuring all vision, echoed a single phrase:

_"I love you."_

Then nothing more. The light flowed out from the purple-hued crystal that formed the world's core as Spyro unleashed his power.

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><p><em><strong>-=Cynder's POV=-<strong>_

Cynder felt her body erupt in pain, as though a million tiny flames had pried up each individual scale, crawled inside, and burned to their hearts' content. The light seeped through her eyes, which were tightly shut, causing the black dragoness to see sparkles dance across the inside of her eyelids

She felt Spyro move beside her, heard him whisper something she couldn't hear...

Then a force slammed against her, sending her flying through the air. Darkness crept in from the edges of her vision as her body hurtled through the air at a speed that made lightning seem slow. The G-forces pulled at her form as she lost consciousness, and everything faded into nothingness.

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><p>The cool night air rang with the nocturnal chorus of the many animals and insects that preferred the moonlit world. The drifting islands that had been the Valley of Avalar creaked at the ends of their tethers, occasionally bumping into one another as they floated on the magical currents that bound the world together.<p>

A flicker of bright light cut through the dark underbrush, casting long shadows against the short grass of the green plains. A flock of birds took to the air, squawking and chirping at the sudden interruption to their slumber.

The light appeared again, tendrils of writhing energy emitting from a vortex that had just appeared amid the light. The light grew in intensity until, in a loud sound similar to the cracking of a whip, it pulsed one last time before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

A smoking crater was all that remained of the unnatural event, the only evidence that it had occurred at all.

And in the center of this crater was a black-scaled dragoness with a red-scaled underbelly and a blade-like tail. She stumbled, as if exhausted, before collapsing in a heap on the sizzling, cracked ground.

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><p><em>Ouch...<em>

Her whole body ached. Ebony eyelids fluttered open, revealing bleary eyes. The world, currently a mass of blurry shapes, slowly resolved into clarity as she shook her head to clear it of confusion. As the dragoness raised her head to try to get a look around, a high-pitched squealy voice split the silence.

"UNCLE, _SHE'S AWAKE_!"

The dragoness slammed her paws over her head, trying to shelter herself from the ringing that followed the loud voice. A small, green-scaled dragon hopped past her vision, bounding out of a door that the dragoness just realized was there.

_Where am I?_ she wondered.

Her eyes darted around the room that she now found herself in. The bed was covered by a dark blue bedspread with bright blue pillows. Across the room, a fire crackled in a stone fireplace. Atop the mantle of the fireplace rested a couple portraits of a trio of dragons, the adults were green and blue, and the small one (the dragoness assumed it to be the one who had just near split her head open with his noise) was green.

A noise drew her attention back towards the door. In the doorway stood a large blue male dragon with three white horns jutting up from his brow that continued upward for an inch before curving back over his head.

"Ah, you're awake!" he said, his voice filled with pleasant surprise. "We were afraid that you might not make it, given the condition we found you in."

"What condition?" the dragoness croaked, her voice weak from disuse.

The smaller green dragon came up beside the blue one, hopping up and down, obviously eager about something the dragoness couldn't speculate on.

"First things first, young dragon. My name is Kelvos, and this is my nephew, Granir. What's your name?" the elder dragon asked patiently.

"My name is... name is..." her voice faltered. _What is my name?_ She brought her paw up to her head, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

_Who am I?_

Seeing that the black dragoness was obviously distressed, Kelvos waved his paw in a dismissive manner. "Forget it. You are obviously still recovering from your ordeal. Get some rest. We'll be back in the morning." Kelvos herded Granir out of the room, closing the door behind him.

**-=Outside the room=-**

"But Uncle, isn't that-" Granir began as soon as Kelvos had closed the door.

"Hush!" Kelvos growled, startling Granir. It wasn't like Kelvos to be so serious. "We will discuss it no more." he said firmly.

Kelvos walked past his stunned nephew and into his study, where he prepared a letter to be delivered to Warfang, the great Dragon City. The purple dragon had to be notified of this new development.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, it's obviously Cynder that we've got here... but what's wrong with her? **

**-Gasp!-**

**Could she have amnesia? Find out more about the situation in the next chapter.**

**Now, depending on circumstances, this story might get pushed on the backburner, as some of my stories are more pressing to get updated. Though, I'm sure that reviews might change my mind...**

**-=Commentaholic=-**


	2. Chapter One: Voice in the Wind

**Communing with Nature**

By Commentaholic

**A/N: Well, here we are again. The first chapter got me a surprising amount of feedback, which is a good thing. I really like this story's plot as it appears in my head, so I can't wait to type it out here.**

**I can't answer any of the questions that were posed to me in the reviews, as the answers themselves would ruin some of the plot items I have in store. I hope that you understand.**

**Time to continue and stop talking!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: <strong>_The Voice in the Wind_

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><p><em>"Cynder..."<em>

_The black dragoness opened her eyes, finding herself on the ground in the middle of a barren wasteland. An ocean of sand stretched in every direction towards the horizon. The sun beat down mercilessly, the bright light making her eyes hurt from looking at the illuminated scenery._

'Where am I' _she thought._

_"Cynder...", came the voice again. It drifted on the currents of the wind as it blew past her, throwing up small whirlwinds of sand as it swept across the dunes._

_'_Who is Cynder?' _she wondered. '_Someone must be looking for him... or her...'_ The name sounded familiar, but she didn't know where she had heard it before. The black dragoness looked around for the voice's source, but saw no living thing as far as she could see._

_She jumped in surprise as the dust devils spiraled around her feet, collecting into a larger whirlwind that stretched up to a few feet above her head. In the midst of the storm, she could make out another dragon's shape. The black dragoness jumped forward, desperate to meet this other living thing in this lifeless desert, but the storm dissipated as quickly as it had risen, taking the silhouette of the other dragon with it, leaving only one more lingering word in the churning air:_

_"Cynder."_

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><p>The black dragoness thrashed about in her sleep, concerning Kelvos. The young dragon had done nothing but eat and sleep for the past week as he waited for a response from Warfang, though it was odd that the reply should take this long. And the dreams during her sleep were not pleasant. She always awoke in a cold sweat, eyes wide as if haunted by an ethereal demon, but when Kelvos had questioned her about her dreams, she could not recall anything.<p>

Granir bounded past Kelvos, on his daily mission to wake up the young female with his high-pitched voice.

"GOOD MORNING, UMBRA!"

Umbra had been the name that young Granir had given the black dragoness when Kelvos had refused to acknowledge Granir's inquiries about her identity.

Umbra stirred, then settled again.

"**Umbraaaa!**" Granir bellowed in her face, only to receive a blow to the face as Umbra smacked him upside the head with the flat of her tail blade.

"How many times have I told you not to do that, Granir?" Kelvos asked, chuckling, "It never works out well for you."

"Well, how else are we going to get this sleepyhead up?" Granir said, smiling as he scrambled back to his feet after being sprawled on the ground. Umbra slowly stretched after rising from the cushions.

"So, young dragon, what are you going to be doing today?" Kelvos asked, smiling at Granir's funny logic.

"I don't know... probably nothing... maybe read some of those scrolls you have in your library."

"Well, why don't you join me and Granir for our weekly visit to the Cheetah Village? It'll be much better than sitting around in this dark house. You should get out in the sun once in a while.

"Or are you too _scared_, Umbra?" Granir taunted. A moment later, he found himself pinned to the ground, Umbra smiling in his face from above him.

"Anywhere you can go, Granir, I can go without being as scared as you are, _squirt_." she fired back, laughing.

Kelvos only chuckled. "Let us go, young dragons. We must leave now if we are to get back before dark."

Umbra got off of Granir, walking over to Kelvos, but not before flicking her tail blade at the dragon child once more, earning a squeal from the obnoxious little one.

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><p>The sun shone above the hills as the trio of dragons walked beside the river leading along the Valley of Avalar, wings tucked close to their sides. Granir bounded ahead through the fields of flowers, scattering the insects and birds that had been resting there. Seeing Granir play about reminded Umbra about something she'd been wondering about.<p>

"Hey Kelvos...?"

"What is it, young dragon?" Kelvos replied politely. "What burdens your mind?"

"Where are Granir's parents?"

At this, Kelvos' face fell. "Granir's parents, my sister and her mate, died a few years ago when Granir was just an egg."

"Oh..." Umbra felt embarassment at dredging up unhappy memories, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"

"No, it's alright." Kelvos assured her, looking over at Granir, who continued to play amongst the flowers and multi-colored crystals that dotted the valley floor. He ploughed into a small cluster of plants, sending their spores flying into the air, carried aloft on the smallest of breezes. "His parents died a few years ago in an ape attack on their village. At the time, Granir was still in his egg and my sister asked me to take him to safety while she joined her mate in helping to fight off the apes. And so I fled to my home, egg in tow, being too frail to go into battle myself due to my illness."

"What illness? You look healthy enough to me." Umbra said, surprised at the older dragon's supposed condition.

Kelvos smiled, "I'm glad for your kind words, but appearances can be deceiving. It's an illness that I've had since birth, rendering me too weak to move at times." Kelvos' eyes lowered, "I've always regretted not being able to help the village more, but I have found comfort in the fact that at least my illness has not made me incapable of saving Granir and raising him as my own."

Umbra's eyes followed Kelvos' gaze to Granir, who was rolling in the grass. The small dragon rolled to his feet, grinning at the other two dragons, excitement in his eyes.

"He does so enjoy our trips. And he's happy to have someone close to his age to share it with, believe it or not." Kelvos murmured. "I just wish I could offer him the home he needs."

Umbra absentmindedly nodded as she watched Granir play. The trio made their way through the valley, following the river to the Cheetah Village.

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><p>Umbra looked up as Granir's gleeful yell split the calm air, "We're here!"<p>

The Cheetah Village could be seen across a small bridge spanning the river, which flowed past the dwellings until it reached a crack in the planet, the water endlessly cascading off the edge and into the void below. The buildings, made of intricately-carved stone, were scattered in a loose half-circle. In the center of the arc, two wooden totems stood. They were weathered and ancient with stones like jade ringed around them near the bottom.

_An image flashed in Umbra head of two dragons magically tethered to the totems, one black like her and the other was-_

The picture flickered painfully, causing Umbra to clutch at her head until the ache subsided. Kelvos looked down at the black-scaled dragoness with concern. "Are you alright?"

Umbra gave a slight growl of irritation before nodding and continuing her stride towards the village. She made it a few strides before her head began aching again.

"Why don't you get a drink, young dragon. Granir and I will be up in the village when you are ready to continue." Umbra hesitated for a moment before accepting this advice. She didn't want to be parted from her guardian, but it would only be a minute or so, so she hurried down to the river.

The water was clear, cold and refreshing. Umbra sat by the river for a moment, looking at her reflection in the water where it flowed into a calm pool just off the main river. _What's wrong with me? What do I keep seeing? _she asked herself.

She looked up at the sky for a moment before looking back at the water. As she watched, deep in thought, she hardly noticed another dragon's face enter the reflection. The dragon had long yellow horns and purple scales and eyes of cool lavender, and the dragon was looking at her, a kind, reassuring smile on his face.

_"Cynder..." _whispered the dragon. Umbra jumped to her feet, just now truly noticing the other dragon's visage. She spun around to meet the newcomer, but there was nobody there. Umbra looked back at the water and the other dragon's reflection was gone as well, leaving just a ripple in the pond.

Umbra heard her name being called by that obnoxious Granir, so she turned and headed back up the path towards the Cheetah Village.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, yet another chapter. I know it's kind of filler-esque, but it does put into play some backstory for a couple major characters, as well as a couple hints for the future for those who are keen enough to notice them.**

**-=Commentaholic=-**


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